Mettler-Toledo International (NYSE:MTD) raised its full-year 2026 sales outlook after third-quarter growth in China and other emerging markets helped lift revenue and adjusted earnings.
The laboratory and industrial instrument maker reported quarterly sales of $1.1 billion, up 6% in both U.S. dollars and local currencies. Organic local-currency sales also rose 6%. Adjusted earnings per share increased 13% to $12.57, while reported earnings per share rose to $12.29 from $10.57 a year earlier.
Chief Executive Officer Patrick Kaltenbach said the company benefited from improving market demand and relatively broad-based growth across its portfolio. Organic sales rose 13% in Asia and the rest of the world, including 13% growth in China, compared with increases of 3% in the Americas and 2% in Europe.
Laboratory and Industrial Growth
Organic sales increased 6% in both the Laboratory and Industrial businesses. Within Industrial, core Industrial sales rose 5% and Product Inspection grew 8%. Food Retail sales declined 2%, while service revenue increased 7%.
Kaltenbach said Laboratory growth extended across nearly all product areas, with demand from quality labs and improving trends in biopharma and biotech research. The latter contributed to strong growth in liquid handling, including pipettes. He also cited demand from semiconductor, battery and GLP-1 customers.
Core Industrial growth was led by automation and digitalization solutions, while Product Inspection benefited from the company’s strategy targeting mid-market food manufacturers, Kaltenbach said. Food Retail sales fell partly because of project timing, particularly in the Americas.
Gross margin expanded 60 basis points to 59.8%. Chief Financial Officer Shawn Vadala attributed the increase to favorable pricing, lower tariff rates than a year earlier and higher volume, partly offset by increased material and transportation costs. Adjusted operating profit rose 8% to $333.5 million, and adjusted operating margin increased 40 basis points to 30.5%.
2026 Outlook Raised, 2027 Guidance Issued
Mettler-Toledo now expects full-year 2026 local-currency sales growth of approximately 5%, up from its prior range of approximately 4% to 5%. The forecast includes 4% organic growth. Adjusted earnings per share are projected at $47.70 to $47.90, representing 12% growth.
For the fourth quarter, management forecast local-currency sales growth of approximately 5% and adjusted earnings per share of $14.84 to $15.04, or growth of 11% to 13%. Vadala said the outlook includes an expected mid-single-digit decline in Food Retail and roughly flat Product Inspection sales, in part because of difficult comparisons with the prior year.
For 2027, the company expects local-currency sales to rise approximately 5% and adjusted earnings per share of $52.50 to $53.50, representing growth of 10% to 12%. The forecast reflects continued strength in China and emerging markets and favorable U.S. trends, partly offset by a cautious view of Europe.
Vadala said the 2027 outlook assumes mid- to high-single-digit growth in Laboratory, mid-single-digit growth in core Industrial, low- to mid-single-digit growth in Product Inspection and low-single-digit growth in Food Retail. By geography, the company expects mid- to high-single-digit growth in the Americas, low-single-digit growth in Europe and mid-single-digit growth in China.
The China forecast reflects tougher comparisons following a strong second half of 2026. Vadala said the country could be a swing factor and that, based on conditions at the time of the call, there appeared to be more upside than downside to the forecast.
Automation and Onshoring Opportunities
Kaltenbach said the company sees opportunities from customers investing in automation, digitalization and more resilient supply chains. Its instruments and software can provide data and connectivity for customers developing AI-supported manufacturing processes and automated laboratories, he said.
Asked whether an instrument upgrade cycle tied to AI could lift results, Vadala said the company had not built a meaningful contribution from that opportunity into its 2027 guidance and viewed it as potential upside.
Management also reported increasing activity related to U.S. onshoring projects. Kaltenbach said some revenue from those projects appeared in the third quarter, but he expects a larger contribution in the second half of 2027 and subsequent years. Vadala said the company had not assumed onshoring would be meaningful to 2027 results, noting that the timing and magnitude of project-related sales remain difficult to predict.
For 2027, Mettler-Toledo expects approximately $950 million in free cash flow and plans the same amount in share repurchases. Vadala said the company anticipates adjusted operating margin expansion of about 70 basis points at the midpoint of its guidance, while gross margin is expected to be roughly flat to slightly higher.
About Mettler-Toledo International (NYSE:MTD)
Mettler-Toledo International develops and manufactures precision instruments and systems used in laboratory, industrial, and retail settings. Its products include laboratory balances and analytical instruments, industrial scales and weighing systems, and equipment for measuring and monitoring production processes.
The company also supplies product-inspection systems, including checkweighers, metal detectors, and X-ray inspection equipment, along with related software, installation, maintenance, and calibration services.
